Lifeboat



W. STEWART.

UFEBOAT.

. APPLICATION BLED SEPT. 21, 1921- 1,420,459, Patented June 20, 1922.;

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INVENTOR W/LL/AM STEWART A TTOR/VE Y8 r meson.

To aZZw/tomc't may concern:

Be it known that I, TVILLIAM STEWART, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of NewJersey, have invented a new and Improved Lifeboat, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention has relation and refers particularly to an improvement inlife boats, the same having as one of its principal objects to produce aboat which may be properly nested with others of the same kind, wherebya number of such boats when nested will occupy a minimum amount of deckspace on a vessel, and whereby a single pair of davits may beconveniently utilizedto ef-.

feet the launching of each of said nested boats singly.

As a further object the invention seeksto provide a strong, durable andefficient life boat, the construction of which renders the same moresea-worthy and less liable to cap'-' size or over-turn.

' As a still further object the inventioncontemplates a life boatprovided withrem'ovable buoyant elements and cross seats, the

latter capable of being removed and stored in the bottom of the boat topermit of the nesting of a number of said boats one wlthin the other andwhereby the buoyant members may be removed for the purpose of repairs orrenewal when damaged.

As a more specific object the invention contemplates means for securingthe removable seats in place, which means also serve as lateral bracingelements for the boat.

With the above recited and other objects in view, the invention residesin the novel construction set forth in the following specification,particularly pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated intheaccompanying drawings, it being understood that the right is reserved toembodiments other than those actually illustrated herein to the fullextent indicated by the general meaning of the terms in which the claimsare expressed and by variations in the phraseology of the same.

In the drawings. I

Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating a number of life boatsconstructed in accordance with the invention in nested relation.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of one of the boats, illustrating one of the crossseats removed and stored in the bottom.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view Specification of Letters Patent.

P tented- June 20,1922.

Application med September 21, 1921., semi No. 502,192.

tlierethrough taken on the line indicated at 3-3 in Fig. 2. I Fig. 4 isa transverse sectional view of one of the life boats and illustrating indotted lines other boats in nested relatio'nthereto.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, the hullconsistsof a bottom 10 and side walls 1'1,the sidewalls including upper andlower sections 12: and 13 which diverge with respect to each other fromtheir lower ends to their upper ends. The upper and lower side wallhorizontal steps 14 which respectively connect the lower edge of each'upper sidewall section 12 with the upper edge of each lower sidewallsection 13 and provide within the hull interior shelves 15 extending.fore and aft. The side wallsections. 12' and 18 merge.- into one anotherat the ends of the'hull and" are connected to the'stem' posts 16 of thekeel 17, The opposite extremities of the steps andshelves 1 1 and .15converge and The'up'per edges vanish at the stem posts; of the upperside wall sections'l2are formed with the'usualgunwa-le 18 supporting theoar-loclrsj19 in spaced relation. Longitudinally extending seats 20 aresupported within the hull in superposed relation to the shelves 15 toaffordtherebetween a receiving space for a pluralityof buoyant elements21 in the nature of s ealedwatertight tanks or the equivalent thereof.The longitudinal seats 20 are preferably supported by vertical steppedbraces 22. The buoyant elements or sealedtanks 21 arearrangedflongitudinally of the hull and disposed between the shelves 15andthe longitudinal seats 20, with their end walls spaced from eachother. The buoyant elements are'removable or portable whereby the samemay be disassociated sections are joined by from the hull for thepurpose'ofrepairs, or

renewal when damagedor otherwise rendered unfit or unsafe for use. Inaddition to the longitudinal seats 20 which are stationary, a pluralityof detachable transverse seats 23 p are employed, the same'being adaptedto be supported from the longitudinal seats.

, Each of the transverse seats is provided ad.-

jacent its opposite extremity with an eye bolt 21 extendingtherethrough' with the shanks 25 depending therefrom for insertionwithin the apertures 26 in the longitudinal seats, said apertures beingdisposed therein to register with the spacesbetween theends of thebuoyant elements 21. A hook 27 is carried by the upper end of each eyebolt Y ,the same time serving as lateral braces for ing capacity. Thecombination longitudie the side walls to prevent the spreading orrelative separation of the same. When it is desired to nest a pluralityof boats, the transverse seats are removed and the longitudinal seats 20of a lower boat will'coact with the steps 14 of the next'adj acent upperboat to support said upper boat and provide a storage space between thebottoms of said nested boats for the transverse seats,

or masts or other articles constituting, the equipment for the same. Inaddition to the longitudinal seats 20, combination longitudinal seatsand foot rests 30 are supported zsifrom the bottom 10 of the hull by thesupporting brackets 31 whereby occupants seatedon the seats 20 may resttheir feet on the combination seats and foot'rests 30, per

mitting other occupants to sit between the feet of the occupantson thelongitudinal seats 20 whereby toafford a maximum seatnal seats andfoot-rests 30 terminate an'a-preciable distance from each end of thehull 'and withinthe space thus provided storage tanks. 32 are arrangedfor water and food supply. One of the transverse seats 28 is providedwith a mast receiving eye 38 which affords means for stepping the mast.

The formation of the hull provides the side walls with stepped portionswhich coact with the water to render the boat more stable and seaworthyin a heavy sea, to mini- .mize the possibility of capsizing, while atthe same time materially adding to and strengthening the structure dueto the fact that the horizontal steps act as lateral stiifening meansfor the hull. By this arrangement it will be seen that a number of boatsof this construction may be nested to occupy a minimum amount of deckspace and each nested set will require but a single pair of davits toelfect the launching. Furthermore the construction of the hulleliminates the necessity of employing expensive chocks or cradles as twoskids will be sufiicient to support a complete set of nested boats bypositioning the same beneath the stepped portions of the sides.

Claims:

1. In a life boat, a hullcomprising a bottom and laterally stepped sidewalls including upper and lowerdivergent sections connected by ahorizontal step extending fore and aft, said steps within the hullconstituting snelves, longitudinal seats superposed with respect theretoaffording a receiving space therebetween, removable buoyant elementsinterposed between the shelves and longitudinal seats, transverse seatsadapted to be supported by the longitudinal shelves, and means fordetachably associating said transverse seats with'the longitudinalseats.

2. In a life boat, a hull comprising a bottom and laterally stepped sidewalls including upper and lower divergent sections connected by ahorizontal step extending fore and aft, said steps within the hullconstituting shelves, longitudinal seats superposed with respect theretoaffording a receiving space therebetween, removable buoyant ele- V mentsinterposed between the shelves and longitudinal seats, transverse seatsadapted each upper section and the upper edge of 7 each lower section,said sidewall sections,

connected at their opposite extremity with the stem posts and merginginto each otherat their point of connection with the stem terior of thehull with longitudinal shelves, longitudinally arranged seats superposedwith respect to said shelves adapted to coact with the steps of a boatof like construction when nested therewith to space the bottom of saidsecond boat from the bottom of the first boat to afford a storage spacefor the transverse seats and other equipment;

l. In a'life boat construction, a hull including a bottom and steppedside walls providing an upper portion of greater area than the lowerportion, longitudinal seats superposed with respect to the inner steppedportions of the sides, transverse seats adapted to be supported by thelongitudinal seats and detachably associated therewith whereby uponnesting of two or more of said boats, the longitudinal seats will coactwith the stepped portions of the upper adjacent boat to provide areceiving space between the bottoms of said nested boats for thereception of the transverse seats andother equipment,

a and whereby the exterior stepped, portions of the hull will coact withthe water to mini mize the rolling of the boats in a heavy sea.

"WILLIAM STEWART.

V posts, said horizontal steps forming the in-

